


who'd have believed you'd come along

by thenewromantics



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baseball Player Mike Wheeler, F/M, Secret Relationship, eventual, this is going to be fun i'm excited, why do you ask, yes this is a baseball friends to lovers au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-01-15 03:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18490678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenewromantics/pseuds/thenewromantics
Summary: When Mike Wheeler moves from Indianapolis to Hawkins in the middle of his junior year the only thing he really wants is a couple of friends and a spot on the baseball team. However, he quickly realizes that life wouldn't be nearly as interesting if it didn't throw him a couple of curve balls, one of which is the most beautiful girl Mike has ever seen in his entire life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends. i would like to firstly apologize for my almost month long writing hiatus. dealing with writer's block is a real bitch. when i got my muse back, i wasn't really expecting it to come in the form of a new au (yes, i know, i don't deserve rights for starting this when i have two whole other fics that aren't done yet, feel free to drag me), but when you deal with writer's block for any extended period of time, you accept any and all forms of a muse. 
> 
> hence the birth of this fic! i'm very, very excited for this one, and i hope that everyone else is too! thank u so much to jazz for encouraging this fic and helping me work through some of the plot points. it wouldn't exist with her! love u, jazz! 
> 
> title comes from neil diamond's song 'sweet caroline', which i, as a fan of the boston red sox, associate very closely with the sport of baseball.

Mike was nervous. 

He knew that in this particular situation, first day at a new school, it was perfectly normal, in fact it was expected, for him to be nervous, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was a wuss for being nervous. Of course, this was probably more contributed to his dad barking ‘don’t be such a wuss’ this morning when he had lingered getting out of the car, then it was anything else. 

The only bright side to moving from Indianapolis to the middle of nowhere, Hawkins, in the middle of April, was that he was arriving just as baseball season was getting underway. Which meant it would probably be easy enough to get himself on the team. It had been a hard pill to swallow, leaving his old school just as the season was starting, his old coach being the toughest of his goodbyes. 

This was the year that Mike was  _ finally _ going to be a starter. Something he had been working towards since he was in middle school. He had sat on the bench the last three years, waiting patiently for his opportunity. 

And then his dad got a new job. 

He knew he should be happy, or at least relieved. His dad had been laid off last year, product of a company downsizing, and his mom, while bringing in a small revenue from her part time secretary job, had been stressed. A lot. Taking care of two kids and paying tuition for a third on only half a salary, definitely far from ideal. 

But, last month his dad had been appointed as manager of the local insurance firm, which meant the Wheelers were now residents of middle of the nowhere, small town Hawkins. Which, Mike supposed was better than nothing. 

“Well, Mr. Wheeler, we’re very happy to have you with us.” The secretary in the front office said as she handed Mike his schedule. Mike could tell by the look on her face that they didn’t get new kids around here often, a thought that made his stomach lurch. 

While Mike wasn’t as nervous and shy as he had been when he was a kid, he still did  _ not _ want to attract any kind of attention. That was the best part about Indianapolis, there were hundreds of kids in his class and no one ever paid any mind to him. It didn’t seem like Hawkins would be the same. 

If his current situation was any indication. The minute he had walked into the front office, all eyes had been on him, causing his spine to straighten, self conscious. 

“Now, if you have any questions, feel free to stop by. We’re here to help.” The secretary, Ms. Wilson according to the nameplate on her desk, smiled. She had a little bit of lipstick stuck to her tooth and Mike gulped, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. 

The bell rang out in the hallway and Mike’s shoulders hitched. “Thank you.” He muttered, grabbing his schedule from the counter and exiting the office quickly. 

Students flooded the hallways and Mike took a deep breath as he pushed himself into the throng. He could feel eyes on him, his height certainly not doing much to hide him, but he ignored them. 

He just had to make it through the day. 

That’s all he had to do. 

 

* * *

 

Jane was excited. 

She didn’t know what it was exactly, but something inside of her was tittering with excitement. She did know however that it had to mean something, it almost always did with her. Her dad had always said that she was basically a psychic, but Jane knew  _ that  _ wasn't true. She preferred the term,  _ attuned _ . 

Either way, something about today was setting off her sense and Jane arrived at school that morning a mixture of excitement and curiosity.  _ Something  _ was going to happen today, that she knew for sure. 

“You okay?” Her step brother, Will, asked her as they entered the school hallway. Jane couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the look on Will’s face. His eyebrows were raised and there was a smirk playing on his laps. 

Jane scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest. “I’m fine.” Will snorted, shaking his head as they arrived at her locker. This was routine at this point, and Jane could practically predict the next words out of Will’s mouth. 

“You look like you didn’t sleep much last night.” Will said, leaning against the locker adjacent to hers. It belonged to Lilian Helper, a blonde cheerleader who spent more time hanging out on the bleachers then she did in class, so Jane doubted Will’s presence against her locker would hinder anyone. “That’s all.” 

She rolled her eyes, pulling her calculus book from her locker and stuffing in her backpack. He worried about her way too much, it was almost annoying. “Well, I’m fine.” Tossing her bag over her shoulder, she slammed her locker shut. “Maybe that’s the look I was going for.” 

Will didn’t respond, instead sticking his tongue out, a gesture which she returned with a laugh. Jane was about to open her mouth to keep the conversation going as they began making their way towards Will’s locker, but she was interrupted by a flash of red hair in her eye line and a rough arm around her shoulder. 

“Did you guys hear?” Max’s voice was strained, like she was out of breath and Jane wondered if she had sprinted to get to them. “Everyone’s talking about it.” 

Max’s arm stayed around Jane’s shoulder, even as the trio arrived at Will’s locker. The siblings shared a look though, Will’s eyebrows raised in curiosity. Jane was curious, but not nearly as much as Max probably expected her to be. It’s just that, she had been friends with Max for years, and they hardly ever got excited about the same things. 

“About what?” Will finally asked. Out of the corner of her eye, Jane saw Max smirk, her arm falling from Jane’s shoulder to cross against her chest. 

“There’s a new kid. A junior.” Max said, waggling her eyebrows. “A boy.” 

Jane felt her shoulders hunch, a weird tingle running down her spine. However, she pushed it away, giggling when she smile on Will’s face. 

“Is he cute?” Will asked. Jane knew that he was mainly kidding, while Will had been open about his sexuality with their friends and family, Jane knew that he didn’t plan on dating until he was in college. 

“I hope so.” Max said with a snort, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “We could use more cute guys around here.” She scanned the hallway, almost as if she was trying to prove a point. Jane laughed, shaking her head slightly. 

“Wait until Lucas finds out you said that.” She teased, bumping Max’s hip with her own. Max’s cheeks pinked slightly at the mention of her boyfriend, but she quickly shook her head, her eyes rolling, the blush disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. 

The bell rang and the three friends slowly began making their way to class, the subject of the new kid dropped as Max began whining about the history test that she didn’t study for. 

_ Just another day _ , Jane thought, despite her weird feeling that morning. 

Just another day. 

 

* * *

 

By lunchtime, Mike wasn’t quite sure what to make of Hawkins yet. 

It was definitely smaller than his old school, a typical class size at Indianapolis Central High being nearly double of his biggest class here, but the teachers were nicer and seemed to actually know all the kids, which Mike wasn’t used to. 

He was used to over crowded hallways, lockers the size of shoeboxes and kids eating lunch in classrooms because the cafeteria was so packed. So, needless to say, it was quite a change when Mike strolled into the cafeteria during his lunch period and saw that, while it was bustling with students, there were plenty of empty tables and available seats.

Not wanting to draw even more attention to himself, he had been getting attention all morning and he kind of hated it, he quickly sat down at the first empty table he could spot. A couple of kids in his earlier classes had offered seats at their lunch table to him, but Mike couldn’t even remember what some of them looked like. 

He also just really,  _ really _ , wanted a moment alone. It had been a long morning. 

However, he was just unwrapping the sandwich his mom had packed him, the tension in his shoulders just beginning to slip away when a voice grabbed his attention. 

“Hi.” Mike’s eyes lifted from the table to the source of the voice and he smiled slightly. Three boys were standing in front of him, the boy in the middle, the speaker, looking the most excited of the three. “Do you mind if we sit here?” 

Mike, almost at a loss for words, nodded, not wanting to be rude. He had been hoping to eat alone, but these guys didn't seem like the rest of the kids here. Mike liked that about them already. 

“I’m Dustin.” The middle boy said as he sat across from Mike. Dustin, a fitting name in Mike’s opinion. “That’s Lucas,” his thumb pointing to the African American boy to Dustin’s right, who smiled at Mike. “And that’s Will.” The last boy, smaller than his friends, gave Mike a small wave. “You’re Mike, right?” 

Mike nodded, rubbing his hands nervously against the fabric of his jeans. “Yeah. Uh, nice to meet you guys.” He said, giving a small smile. 

“So Mike, where are you from?” Lucas asked after a few beats of silence. “New kids don’t pop up in Hawkins all that often.” He added, causing his friends to smile. 

“Uh,” Mike cleared his throat, “Indianapolis.” He smiled tightly, noticing the raised eyebrows from the three boys. “It’s like, way different here.” 

Dustin laughed, shaking his head slightly. “Probably boring as hell compared to the big city.” He teased, adjusting the blue, red and white baseball hat that was perched atop his curls. “Hakwins is kind of a shit hole.” 

“It’s not that bad.” Will argued, brushing his hair away from his face. “You’re just too big for this town, Henderson.” He teased, causing Mike to smile. He could feel the nerves slowly dissipating from his body as the friends interacted. 

Unlike most of Mike’s other interactions today, he didn’t feel like some kind of outsider. The three boys seemed like they had been friends for years, but Mike didn’t feel like he was intruding on anything. If anything, he felt like he belonged with them. 

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” Dustin said, a smirk on his face. “So, what class are you?” The other boys turned to look at Mike, the same level of excitement and curiosity alight on all three of their faces. 

Mike feels his eyebrows crinkle together. “Huh?” Did he mean to ask him what class he was in? Had he misheard or misunderstood him? 

“I’m a bard.” Dustin said proudly. “Lucas is a ranger and Will’s a cleric. What are you?” Mike must have still had a look of confusion on his face, because Dustin quickly clarified. “I saw the DnD button on your backpack.” 

Mike felt himself smile, looking over his shoulder quickly at his backpack, which was draped across the back of his chair. He didn’t even remember putting that button (a dark purple one, shaped like a DnD dice), on there. He had found it at his favorite comic book store in Indianapolis, which he had frequented after school. 

He had never met anyone who had appreciated it. Well, until now that is. 

“Paladin.” He said with a small grin. “But, I’ve never really gotten to play.” Mike shrugged, watching the three boys look at each other. He hoped that they didn’t suddenly pity him, the last thing Mike wanted was the first people at this school he actually wanted to be friends with thinking he was a loser. 

“Why not?” Will asked, quiet curiosity laced in his tone. His head was cocked ever so slightly and the other two boys looked at Mike expectantly. 

Mike rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging again. “My dad thinks it’s lame, and no one at my old school was really into it.” Dustin and Will nodded while Lucas shook his head. 

“That blows.” Lucas said, speaking for the first time since the boys had sat down. “Your dad sounds like he sucks, no offense.” Mike snorted, taken aback by the boy’s bluntness. He certainly wasn’t wrong, though. 

“You can play with us sometime, if you want.” Dustin said with a wide grin. “We’ve been itching for new members to join our party but Will’s sister is always busy doing who knows what and Lucas’s girlfriend thinks it’s too lame.” 

Lucas rolled his eyes, no doubt disagreeing with Dustin’s words. “She doesn’t think DnD is too lame, she just thinks that you’re a shitty DM.” He scoffed, causing Dustin to hold his hand to his chest in offense, a gasp sharply leaving his mouth. Mike caught Will’s eye and both the boys grinned. 

A bubble of something, happiness, acceptance, belonging, or some combination of the three, rose inside of him. He was pretty sure he had made his first friends in Hawkins. 

“So,” Will interjected, clearly used to the other boys arguments and knowing when to stop them before it got out of hand, “what do you do, Mike, if don’t play DnD.” 

Mike cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. It wasn’t like he was necessarily  _ ashamed _ of being a baseball player, but he knew based on experience at his old school that guys who played sports and guys who read comic books and played things like DnD didn’t typically associate with each other. 

He could only hope that Hawkins would continue to surprise him. 

“I mainly just play baseball.” He said with a small shrug, running his hand through his hair. “I was on the team at my old school.” 

Mike isn’t quite sure what exactly the reaction he thinks he’s going to get is, but he does know that the one he  _ does _ get isn’t at all what he expects. The three boys all smile, Will nodded, almost  _ impressed _ and Lucas giving him a knowing look. 

“Oh, cool.” Dustin says, smiling. “Lucas here is on the basketball team, so it’ll be cool to hear about something else.” Dustin laughs and Lucas punches him on the shoulder, although he’s smiling too. 

Mike grins, relieved. “I mean, I don’t know if I’m gonna make the team here, but that’s what I did in Indianapolis.” He admits sheepishly. Truthfully, Mike had been nervous for days about potentially not making the team. He supposed it wouldn’t be the  _ worst  _ thing in the world, but it had been a part of who he was for so long, he wasn’t ready to give it up yet. 

The three boys all snorted, Will shaking his head with a laugh. “Trust me, our baseball team kind of sucks, I’m sure they’ll be so happy someone wants to join, they won’t even make you try out.” 

Mike laughed, pushing his hair away from his face. “Well, maybe that’s a good thing. That they suck. My last team was so good, I barely got any playing time.” 

“I doubt that’ll be a problem here.” Lucas said with a grin. “Hawkins is pretty much one of those schools that lets anybody onto the team. Unless you really, really suck.” 

There’s a small beat of silence, but it’s not awkward. Instead it feels comfortable and Mike feels like he’s in the company of lifelong friends. The feeling makes him smile. The three boys were exactly the kind of people that Mike was hoping he would become friends with, even if he didn’t realize that until now. 

It was a good feeling, and Mike hoped it never went away. 

 

* * *

 

By the end of the day, Jane feels like the only thing she’s heard about all day is the new kid. 

Sure, she gets it. Hawkins is small, like everyone has known everyone since they were in kindergarten small, and new kids are just about as rare as Halley’s comet, but still. She just was kind of sick of hearing about this guy that she hadn’t even seen yet. 

But, unfortunately, she was going to keep hearing about. A fact that became even more obvious as she slid into her seat in her last period history class. 

“Yo Hopper, seen the new kid yet?” Dustin immediately said as she sat down, spinning around in his chair to grin at her. “You should meet him, I think you’d like him.” He added with a smirk, causing Jane to roll her eyes. 

“Dustin, how many times have we all told you that you can’t pull of “yo”, no matter how hard you try?” She teases, putting air quotes around yo. Dustin frown, reaching over and pinching her arm. “And no, to answer your question I haven’t, although at this point I feel like I could write an essay on him, considering how much people keep talking about him.” 

Dustin grinned, pushing his hat from his curls as he caught the glance of the teacher, who was eyeing him from her desk. They had a project due the follow Monday, so Ms. Lowell was giving them time to work on it. 

“Well, you should get a look at him.” Dustin whispered, giving Ms. Lowell a grin as she walked by their group of desks. Jane rolled her eyes, directing her attention to her notebook, attempting to start her work. Dustin wasn’t letting up though. “He seems like your type.” 

Furrowing her eyebrows together, Jane looked up at her friend, who was smirking at her. “I don’t have a type.” She said, her eyes falling back down to her notebook. Jane couldn’t help but be curious though, about why Dustin would think the new boy was her “type.” Not that she had the guts to ask. 

“He’s a boy.” Dustin said, leaning in and tapping the eraser of his pencil to her paper. This time when Jane lifted her head, Dustin sent a wink at her, causing Jane’s stomach to churn. “That’s your type right?” 

“You are so dumb.” Jane said with a small laugh, reaching over and slapping Dustin on the arm lightly. “So what, you think this boy is my type because he’s a boy? Is that is?” Jane teased, smiling. 

Dustin shrugged, leaning forward on Jane’s desk, ignoring the look that Ms. Lowell was sending their way. Jane didn’t want to get in trouble, but she knew that there wasn’t much she could do to stop Dustin once he got going. “No.” He insisted, shaking his head slightly. “I think you two have a lot in common.” 

If Jane was confused at Dustin’s words before, she was definitely confused now. “How do you know him and I have things in common?” She asked, twirling her pencil in her hands. “What do you know about him and about me that make us similar, besides us just you know, both being alive.” 

“Haha.” Dustin said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, causing Jane to smirk. “Although, you both being alive does make it all a little bit easier, and less creepy.” Dustin chuckled, clearly pleased with his own comment, causing Jane to roll her eyes. “But to answer your question, he sat with us at lunch today.” 

That information surprised her. Not necessarily in a bad way, it’s just, she knew that Dustin, Will and Lucas had very unique interests, and they often found that none of their classmates had the same ones. “What? Are you guys friends with him now?” 

Dustin nodded, a smile on his face. “Yeah.” Jane couldn’t help but smile, Dustin’s genuine excitement making her heart warm. “He’s cool and into all the same stuff that we are.” Jane nodded, shaking her head slightly. 

“Is that why you think I’d like him?” Jane teases. “Because, just because I hang out with all you nerds doesn’t mean I think it’s an admirable quality.” Dustin rolls his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment. 

“You love it Hopper, don’t even try.” Dustin whispered, sending a small wave over to Ms. Lowell’s desk where she looked only a few seconds away from coming over and separating them. “But, no, that’s not the reason. I just think you would like him, that’s all.” 

Jane smiled. Deep down, she thought it was sweet that Dustin was saying all this. But, she also really had no idea where he was coming from. “I don’t even know his name.” 

“Mike.” Dustin said, a smirk on his face. “His name is Mike.” 

Jane nodded, resisting the urge to say the name out loud. To feel it roll across her tongue. She liked it. Smiling softly, she shook her head, trying not to blush as the name repeated over and over again in her head. 

_ Mike. _

Curiosity ran up her spine now. Despite the very, Jane had to admit, poor job that Dustin did at selling this new boy,  _ Mike _ , to her. She couldn’t deny that she was very, very intrigued. Maybe it was the name, or maybe it was just that now he felt like a real person. 

A real person that Jane was very,  _ very,  _ interested in meeting. 

 

* * *

 

_ *Whoosh* _

Mike smiled, satisfied, as the ball landed in the catcher’s glove with a satisfying thump. Next to him, Coach Anderson clapped his hands together, causing Mike to straighten his spine. While he was impressed with his display for the coach, he didn’t know yet if it would be good enough. 

He hoped that it would, mainly because just standing up here on the mound was making him feel more at home in Hawkins then he had all day.

Luckily, he was pretty sure he had a good shot. When he had sought out Coach Anderson earlier, expressing his interest in joining the team, the coach had almost been shocked that someone was interested in joining. He had told Mike he’d need to see what Mike could do, but he also had said they really only had one  _ solid  _ pitcher. 

Mike only hoped he was good enough to be considered solid. 

“Wheeler, that was some good stuff.” Anderson said, clapping Mike on the shoulder. Mike smiled, turning on the mound and nodding at the coach. “Right, Parker?” The catcher, a kid named Jack, if Mike remembered correctly, nodded from his position behind home plate, tossing the ball back in Mike’s direction. 

“Thanks, sir.” Mike said, tossing the ball up in the air and catching it with his glove. “Just wanted to show you what I could do.” He shrugs, kicking up the dirt on the mound, watching it puff up around his sneakers. 

Coach Anderson nods, the hand on Mike’s shoulder squeezing slightly before dropping to his side. “Trust me, I was very impressed. You play a lot back at your old school?” He asked, regarding Mike with a look that made him gulp. 

“Not really.” Mike admitted, looking back down at the ground, feeling an embarrassed blush creep up across the back of his neck. “Most of the pitchers on my old team were older than me, so as a freshman and sophomore they never really needed me. I was supposed to be a starter this year, but then we moved.” 

“Well, I think you might have just found yourself as a starter on this team.” Mike looked up from the ground, feeling a smile spread across his face. “Might not feel the same, but a guy like you might be just what we need to have a winning season, you up for it?” 

The coach had a smile on his face, his eyebrows raised and Mike felt a bubble of happiness swell up inside of him. “Yes sir, I’m completely and totally up for it.” 

Coach Anderson clapped, a wide grin on his face. “Brilliant.” Mike bit down hard on his bottom lip to keep from bursting into laughter out of joy. “But, Wheeler, there’s no need to call me sir. All the other boys just call me coach, alright?” 

Mike nodded. “Yes sir, I mean, coach.” Coach Anderson smiled, clapping Mike on the shoulder once more and stepping off the mound. 

“Now, let’s see a little bit more of the good stuff.” 

Mike grinned, rubbing the baseball with his fingers, sighing contently at the way that the leather felt against his skin. He looked down the field at the catcher, who was in position. Taking a deep breath, Mike lifted his glove towards his face, preparing to throw. 

However, before he could. He froze. 

He could feel eyes on him, the feeling sending a shiver down his spine. He knew that he was outside that anyone walking by could see him, but school had ended over an hour ago and he didn’t think there were many people left. At least not people who were interested in seeing him. 

Pushing the feeling away, refusing to be distracted, Mike lifted his glove back up, taking another deep breath. There was some unwanted tension in his shoulders, residual from the eyes he could still feeling staring at him, but he shook his head, not giving in. 

As soon as the ball left his hands, Mike knew the pitch wasn’t one of his better ones. He could only hope that the coach didn’t notice too much and regret his decision. Sighing, Mike tightly grinned when the catcher threw the ball back to him, shaking his head slightly. 

Mike threw a couple more pitches, none of them quite as good as the ones before, frustration itching up his spine like a rash. Not to mention he could still feel eyes boring into him from somewhere beyond left field. He didn’t want to let curiosity get the best of him, he wanted to focus on what he was doing, but it had been almost fifteen minutes and his interest was clawing at him. 

He supposed it wouldn’t hurt too much to take a quick peak. 

Turning slightly on the mound, Mike looked over his shoulder, towards the student parking lot. He wasn’t exactly sure what, or who, he was expecting to see, but he knew it was  _ not _ what his eyes were seeing. 

Because leaning against the fence, was by far the prettiest girl Mike had ever seen in his entire life. 

Heart hammering against his chest, Mike gulped as he looked at her. Despite the distance between them, Mike felt himself getting lost in her eyes, which were now looking right at him. He was vaguely aware that this girl wasn’t alone, but he didn’t pay her company any mind. He was too focused on the curve of her lips as she smiled at him, and the way her honey brown hair curled and spun in the light breeze. 

He didn’t know how long he stood there, eyes unable to move away from her, but he hardly even cared. He probably could have stood there for eternity, just looking at this mystery girl. But, he knew the moment would have to come to an end. 

“Wheeler.” Anderson said behind him, causing Mike to jump and spin back around on the mound, eyes nervously meeting that of his coach. Anderson was regarding him peculiarly, and Mike hated the way it made his skin crawl. 

He also hated the way it made him want to turn back around, and look at the mystery girl again.

“Do you know that girl?” Coach asked, pointing somewhere over Mike’s shoulder. Mike didn’t want to turn around this time, not when Coach was staring at him expectantly, so he merely shook his head, his eyes staying trained on the older man’s. 

“No. In fact, I’ve never seen her before.” Mike said, honestly. He left out the part that he would really  _ love _ if he knew that girl, thinking that his coach really didn’t need to know that. “New kid and all.” He added, laughing tightly. 

“Look, Wheeler.” Coach said, stepping forward and bowing his head so he could whisper. “I’m not technically allowed to tell my players what they can and can’t do off the field with their private lives and all, but the school board really needs a winning season from us this year. If we don’t deliver, they’re gonna cut the program.” 

Mike’s heart sunk and he nodded sadly. The last thing he wanted was for the program to get cut  _ right after  _ he got there. Especially if he was somehow part of the reason that he got cut. 

“So, we can’t have anyone being distracted, you hear me.” Coach said, eyes boring into Mike’s. “You were distracted by that girl for almost five whole minutes.”  _ Five minutes _ ? It had barely seemed like thirty seconds… “I hate asking my players this, but if girls, that girl in particular, is going to distract you, we’re gonna have a problem.” 

While the coach didn’t come right out and say it, Mike was smart enough to read between the lines. No girls. Mike didn’t think that would necessarily be that hard, girls generally had found him pretty repulsive back at his old school and even though he would  _ love  _ to actually meet that girl and get to know her, she was gorgeous, totally out his league, and probably wouldn’t give him the time of day. She was probably only staring at him because she had never seen him before. 

So, he nods. “Yeah, I can go do that. No distractions. Got it.” 

“Atta boy.” Coach says, a wide smile on his face. “You’re a good man, Wheeler.” Mike smiles, a weird feeling sinking in his stomach and crawling up his throat like bile, but he doesn’t let it show. “Now, let’s call it a day, it’s hot as hell out here.”

Mike watches as Coach Anderson and the catcher, Jack, Mike reminds himself, begin to make their way off the field. He’s about to follow them when curiosity makes another appearance up his spine, crawling and slithering like a snake.

He has always liked snakes. 

He knows he shouldn’t, but he does anyway. Turning slightly, he takes another peak over his shoulder, but whatever had been building up in his stomach pops like a balloon, fizzing and deflating. Because the mystery girl is gone and Mike is alone.

And that’s how it was going to have to be. 

 

* * *

 

“Okay, what the hell was that?” 

Jane blushed at her best friend’s words, shaking her head slightly as Max hip checked her. At first, she couldn’t think of anything to say because honestly, Jane didn’t know  _ what the hell _ that had been either. 

When she had suggested to Max that they take the shortcut through the field and adjacent to the baseball diamond, this had not been what she had expected to happen. Not in the damn slightest. 

“Honestly, I have no idea.” Jane finally admitted, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks. She could feel her best friend’s eyes on her as they got closer and closer to Max’s car but she couldn’t bring herself to meet Max’s glance. “It feels almost like it was out of my control.” 

And honestly, it’s true. When Jane’s eyes had fallen on the boy on the pitcher’s mound, it felt like the world had slowed down. Her feet had rooted to the spot, tethered her to where she stood, and her eyes attached to him like magnets, no force being quite strong enough to pull her away. 

It was magical and confusing and  _ thrilling _ all at once. 

“Do you think it was the new kid?” Max asked when they reached her car, unlocking the doors so Jane could throw her backpack in the backseat before sliding in the passenger seat. “He was pretty cute, so it looks like I might have gotten my wish.” 

Jane laughed as Max’s waggled her eyebrows teasingly. Truthfully, Jane didn’t know who he was. She had never paid much attention to the baseball team, or really any sports team besides basketball, and that was only because of Lucas, so maybe she just had never noticed him before. 

But, she also found it very,  _ very _ hard to believe that she would miss someone like him. 

“Maybe.” Jane said softly, hands twisting together nervously in her lap. “Dustin said his name is Mike, I guess they sat with him at lunch today.” She said with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing. Truthfully, Jane had been reeling ever since her and Dustin’s conversation, and part of the reason she had suggested taking the route her and Max did to the parking lot, is so she could try and get her head on straight. 

Definitely did  _ not _ achieve that. If anything, she was more scattered than before. But, a  _ good _ kind of scattered.

“Yeah, Lucas mentioned that to me, but I didn’t get his name out of the conversation.” Max said, pulling her car onto the street and beginning the journey to Jane’s house. “Mike,” Max laughed, shaking her head slightly. “He sounds like a nerd.” 

_ A very, very attractive nerd _ , Jane heard herself saying in her head. Leaning her head back on the headrest, she sighed, closing her eyes. When she closed her eyes she could see him, looking at her with that wide eyed, amazed look on face that sent her heart into overdrive. A very attractive nerd indeed. 

“You totally like him don’t you.” Max said in a sing song voice when Jane hadn’t replied. Feeling her face go red, Jane scoffed, shaking her head. 

“Max, I don’t even know him.” She replied, crossing her arms across her chest. It wasn’t a totally false statement, she  _ didn’t  _ know him. At least not in the way she felt herself wanting to. Well, not in any way, really. All she did know about him was that he was cute, and apparently he knew how to throw a baseball. “How can I like him?” 

Max scoffed, looking at Jane out of the corner of her eyes as she turned down Jane’s street. “Easy. You don’t need to know someone to think they’re cute and want to shove them in the janitor’s closet and make out with them.” 

If Jane’s face had been red before, it was nothing compared to the deep, hot, crimson blush she could feel spreading from her cheeks, all the way down her neck and itching at the top of her spine. Before Jane could stop herself, she starts imagining what it would feel like to kiss him, she had certainly noticed the delicate curve of his lips when she had been staring at him…

“Janie.” Shaking her head, Jane looked over at her best friend, who was looking at her with an amused smirk on her face. Somewhere before Max’s original comment and now, they had arrived at Jane’s house and were now parked in the driveway, Max unbuckled and looking across the console at her. 

“What?” She asks, her voice higher and squeakier than she hoped it would be. She awkwardly clears her voice, unbuckling her seat belt and pushing her hair back from her ears. “Okay, fine. I think he’s cute, are you happy now?” 

Max laughs softly, nodding her head. “I’m tickled pink, Janie.” Jane rolls her eyes, reaching behind her seat and grabbing her backpack. “I think the real question is, are you happy?” 

“Huh?” 

“Look, and I’m being totally serious right now, so don’t give me that look.” Jane looks down at her lap, licking her lips nervously. “If you think this boy is cute, you should go after him. You’ve been alone and miserable far too long.”

Jane laughs, shaking her head. “How do you manage to be so, encouraging and yet condescending at the same time?” 

Max shrugs her shoulders, flipping some of her hair over her shoulder. “Eh, consider a gift.” She smiles and Jane shakes her head once more, pulling her backpack over her shoulder. 

“Goodbye, Max.” 

Pushing the passenger door open, Jane exits the car and begins to make her way up her driveway, sighing when she hears Max’s window roll down, bracing herself. “If you need any help with how to land a nerd, feel free to ask me for advice.”

Jane rolls her eyes, unable to resist giving Max the bird, not bothering to turn around to look at her. She hears her best friend laugh before her car starts. Jane only looks over her shoulder when she knows Max is gone, watching as her friend’s car disappears around the corner.

Taking a deep breath, Jane leans against the side of her house, her mind still reeling from what happened earlier at the baseball diamond. 

She thinks back to what Max had said, about wanting him. Jane didn’t know if  _ wanting _ was the right word, but she did know one thing. Max was right. Jane did like him, as much as someone could like another person they had never spoken to before, and she did want to at least get to know him a little better. 

Which of course, hopefully would lead to something more somewhere down the line. 

And, well, Jane was absolutely nothing short of a modern, strong independent woman, just like her mama and step mom had taught her. And if there was anything she knew about being a strong woman, it was that if she wanted something she had to make it happen. 

She wanted Mike. She was going to get him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trust me when i say that this fic is going to be 99.5% fluff and maybe like .5% angst, like this is going to be by far the fluffiest thing that i've ever written in my life. i hope that you guys liked this first chapter! next chapter will include mike and el (who yes, will eventually be called el, trust me jane is just as weird for me to write as it likely is to read), actually meeting for the first time. yay! 
> 
> anyways, please let me know what you think and i'll see u next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well hello hello friends. looks like writing that fic last week really got me back into the mood for writing because, i cranked this baby out pretty quickly. i also was very much inspired by attending a baseball game last week (a baseball game that HAPPENED to be stranger things themed and where i HAPPENED to see joe keery with my own eyes but that's neither here nor there). not to mention, sweet caroline keeps playing over the radio where i work like it's mocking me, so thus i finally cranked this out. i'm so so so sorry for the long wait and i hope that this chapter, despite not being super long, doesn't disappoint! 
> 
> hopefully with season three coming soon (FIVE DAYS!), my muse for mileven will come back and i'll be able to crank these chapters out a little quicker. 
> 
> enjoy!

Jane awoke the next morning feeling equal parts determined and nervous. 

Determined because she  _ was _ going to introduce herself to the mystery baseball boy, who she was almost positive was the new boy, Mike, but she couldn’t be too sure. Jane usually wasn’t very social, she didn’t have many friends, but this boy made her  _ feel  _ things. Things that made her want to introduce herself to him. 

But also nervous because, what if she introduced herself to him and she didn’t like him? Or even worse, he didn’t like her. All this was because, despite the very real things that she had felt fluttering in her stomach the day before, Jane still didn’t  _ know _ anything about him. She wasn’t even totally sure that it was this Mike boy. 

However, through all of Jane’s determination, it looked like her feat would be harder to accomplish then she thought. 

Because it turns out, Mike, or whatever his name was, was a very, very hard guy to track down. She wouldn’t have assumed that about him. He was tall, taller than any boy she had ever seen before, and he had a halo of dark curly hair that Jane thought would have made him pretty distinctive. 

She had thought wrong apparently. 

“Are you okay?” Lucas asked her when she slid into her seat in their shared English class right before lunch block. Her eyes were scanning the room, eyes peeled for the baseball mystery boy. She jumped ever so slightly at Lucas’s voice, blush covering her face as she looked at him. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said with a small shrug, trying to sound as nonchalant as she could. The last thing she needed was her best friend’s boyfriend to know what she was doing. 

Lucas’s eyebrows were raised, like he didn’t believe her, but he didn’t question her. A small bubble of disappointment popped inside of her when the door of the classroom slammed shut and the bell rang out to start class. Mike wasn’t in this class either. 

He hadn’t been in any of her classes all morning. It’s not like she thought he would suddenly appear in every aspect of her life as soon as she noticed him but damn, it was almost lunch and she hadn’t caught a glimpse of him all day. She was sick and tired of it. 

Unfortunately, she also had a different lunch period then the boys did, her and Max being given the later lunch period, which they usually spent outside by the field, soaking in the sunshine and gossiping as much as two girls could. Jane groaned, sinking into her seat when she realized that Max would likely continuing grilling and teasing her during lunch. 

Today was not going how she had planned, at all. 

English droned on, slowly and numbingly, as every class had so far. Jane could barely focus on commas, or sentence structure, or theme, or symbolism or whatever else Mr. Kissinger was talking about in front of the room. All she could think about was baseball boy,  _ Mike _ , she reminded herself. 

She knew that she had only seen him from a distance, but she couldn’t get the image of his face out of her head. The freckles that she had seen scattered across his cheeks, his warm brown eyes that found hers like it’s all they were looking for, the way his pale skin glowed in the afternoon sunlight. 

He was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen in her life. 

Jane was so wrapped up in her daydreams, that she didn’t even notice when the bell had rung, only snapping out of it when Lucas tapped the corner of her desk.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked, eyebrows high on his forehead. “You’re like a million miles away.” He had an almost, amused, smirk on his face and Jane rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m just tired.”  Jane said, throwing her book in her bag and shouldering it. “Didn’t sleep very well last night, I think it was the moon.” Lucas still looked skeptical, his lips pursed together, but Jane pushed past him towards the classroom door before he could say anything else. “I gotta get to study hall, Max is waiting, bye!” 

Taking a deep breath, Jane pushed herself into the hallway, almost automatically scanning the crowd for the object of her day dream, but with a disappointed sigh, she realized she was out of luck once more. She knew he would be on his way to lunch right now with the rest of the boys, and for the first time all year, Jane wished she was joining them. 

She knew it sounded crazy, pathetic even, that she was so determined and desperate to talk to this boy that she didn’t even know. But, there was something about the way her heart had fluttered when they locked eyes, and the way Jane felt like she couldn’t breathe for the second their eyes had broken contact. She knew that there were other forces at work here. 

And she was going to figure out what those forces were, even if it killed her. 

 

* * *

 

Mike’s second day was significantly less exciting then his first one. 

This was mainly because turns out, new kids lose their appeal very, very quickly around here. Mike certainly wasn’t going to complain though, if no one caring anymore about him meant that no one stared at him in the hallway or looked at him funny when he was sitting in class, then he would take it. 

He quickly realized, however, that Will, Lucas and Dustin’s kindness towards him during lunch wasn’t going away anytime soon. Another thing he wasn’t going to complain about. 

“Hey, so quick question.” Mike nearly jumped out of his skin as Dustin practically appeared out of nowhere behind him as he was retrieving his lunch. “Do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek? I like both but Lucas swears that Star Trek is superior while Will has always been more of a Star Wars guy.” 

It took Mike a second to realize that Dustin was waiting for him and expecting them to walk to lunch together, that he almost didn’t even hear Dustin’s question. Closing his locker, he shrugged his shoulders, giving Dustin a small smile. 

“I like both, I guess. My dad always thought both of them were pretty lame, so I had to watch them on my own when I was like in middle school. I think I like Star Wars more, but both are good.” Dustin looked pleased with his answer, elbowing him hard as they walked. 

Together, the two of them made their way towards the cafeteria, a strange, but pleasant, feeling settling into the pit of Mike’s stomach. Despite attending his last high school for two years, he had never felt so  _ welcomed  _ before. Sure, he had friends at his last school, but this felt different. 

“So, how’s your second day going?” Will asked when Dustin and Mike took their seats at the table. It was the same table they had been sitting at yesterday and Mike was relieved at the lack of stares he was receiving today. 

Mike shrugged, opening his lunch bag and pulling his sandwich out. “It’s alright. Significantly less exciting than yesterday.” He said with a small laugh. “People aren’t staring as much, I guess the excitement of a new student has worn off.” 

Dustin laughed, shaking his head as he took a bite of his candy bar. “Yeah. I heard that a couple freshmen got caught drinking behind the bleachers last night, so I don’t think people care anymore.” He smirked, clapping Mike’s shoulder across the table. “Sorry.” 

“Hey, that’s not a problem with me. Getting no attention is my preferred method of social activity.” 

The three boys laughed, a comfortable beat of silence following in which Mike took a bite of his sandwich. However, before either one of them could say anything else, Lucas appeared, his lunch tray thudding to the table. 

“Your sister is so weird.” He said as he sat down, looking over at Will. Will, who was sitting next to Mike, rolled his eyes. He didn’t look surprised, and Mike idly wondered if he would meet Will’s sister, or if the other guys were friends with her. 

“She always is.” Will said with a small snort. He shook his head slightly as he took a bite of soup from his thermos. “Sometimes I swear she’s from another planet.” He joked, earning a laugh from Dustin and Lucas. Mike stayed silent however, not feeling comfortable laughing at the expense of some girl he didn’t know. 

“Well, it certainly seemed like she was on another planet today.” Lucas said, picking at the cafeteria casserole. Mike grimaced as he watched the food slide around on Lucas’s tray, grateful that he had his own lunch. “She was spacing out all English class and then when I asked her what was up, she said something about the moon.” 

Dustin hummed, his hand stroking his chin. “Well, maybe it’s her time of the month, girls always act weird around that time.” 

Lucas rolled his eyes at Dustin’s words and Mike had to agree. Only people who had never spent  _ a lot  _ of time around girls would say something like that. “Are you an idiot?” Lucas asked, reaching over and backhanding Dustin across the shoulder. 

For what it’s worth, Dustin looked offended, crossing his arms and furrowing his eyebrows together. “What do you mean?” He practically squacked, rubbing his shoulder. “It’s scientifically proven that girls act differently during their time of the month.” 

Mike felt himself laugh, shaking his head. “Even if that is true, you never, and I mean never, say that to any girl’s face.” He said, feeling his cheek pink as his new friends all looked at him, equal mixtures of confusion and agreement on their faces. “I have an older sister.” He added, earning nods of understanding from the boys. 

“Oh. Cool.” Dustin said with a grin, showing off his front teeth. “Is she hot?” 

Mike, who at the moment was taking a sip of water, coughed, the water slipping down his esophagus. A hand clapped his back, hard and he could hear Dustin chuckling. Mike could feel his face warming because of a mixture of embarrassment and lack of airflow. Looking down at the table, he cleared his throat awkwardly as the other boys laughed, Will hand clapping his back once more. 

Luckily, the boys didn’t dwell on the subject, and Dustin began talking about something that had happened in his drama class that morning. Mike wasn’t paying much attention though. He felt bad, he had only known these guys for a day and he was already ignoring them, but hard as he try to pay attention, his mind had officially wandered. 

To the pretty girl from the day before. 

Somewhere, in the conversation about girls, and them potentially being hot (although definitely  _ not  _ Nancy being hot, the mere thought of that made Mike want to vomit up his sandwich), his mind had found itself focusing on the girl from yesterday afternoon. 

In fact, it seemed like since he saw her, there was seldom a moment where said pretty girl from yesterday  _ wasn’t  _ on his mind. He had thought about her all evening once he had gotten home, even after what the coach had said about not having any distractions. 

He couldn’t help it though. She was just so  _ pretty _ . Prettier than any girl he had known, or seen, back in Indianapolis, that’s for sure. With her pretty honey eyes, soft, sun kissed skin, and warm brown hair. There was just something so,  _ enchanting _ , about her that made her hard to stop thinking about. 

Even though he knew he needed to. His spot on the baseball team was depending on it. 

“Mike, dude, you okay?” 

The sound of Will’s voice, loud and close to his ear, was enough to snap Mike out of it, his knee knocking hard against the bottom of the table as he jumped. He nodded, trying not to grimace as the pain shot from his knee up and down his leg. He could feel the three boys looking at him, and he hoped he wasn’t acting too weird that they suddenly regretted inviting him into their group. 

“Huh.” Dustin said, taking a bite of his sandwich as Mike looked at him. “Maybe there is something going on with the moon.” 

Mike felt himself smile, his smile growing as he watched Lucas reach over and punch Dustin in the arm, a grin on his face. “You really are an idiot.” 

Dustin smiled, letting out a small laugh, nodding his head in agreement. Mike grinned, that familiar feeling swelling in his chest once more, it only growing as the other boys joined in. It’s not hard to identify this feeling, he felt tingles of it yesterday, but now it comes in full force, hitting him like an ocean wave. 

Friendship, full fledged and unconditional friendship. 

 

* * *

 

Following lunch, Jane had pretty much given up on seeing Mike at all that day. Luckily, Max hadn’t given her too much of a hard time, outside of the usual, expected ribbing, during lunch. Instead, she had merely given Jane and smirk and told her to ‘get it girl.’ 

Jane had been too frustrated, and too embarrassed, to argue with her. 

Truthfully, the more and more Jane thought about him, the deeper and deeper her attraction to him grew. She knew it sounded pathetic, goodness did she know, but she didn’t think she had ever felt like this about someone before. And she had dated Matthew Porter for five months the previous year. 

Sorry, Matt. 

She didn’t even know what it was that was making her feel this way. Her and Mike hadn’t even spoken yet, he didn’t even know her name and she only knew his because he was the new kid. But somehow, deep down, she just knew. She didn’t really know what exactly it was that she  _ knew _ , but she knew that she needed to find Mike. Find him and introduce herself to him. 

But, it seemed like up until that point, the universe, the gods above, whatever forces were at work here,  was very against that happening. Not only had she not seen a single glance of him all day, but she also hadn’t heard anyone talking about him. She had kind of assumed he would still be a hot topic amongst the student body, but she guess some freshmen getting wasted behind the bleachers was a more exciting thing to talk about. 

Jane was so sure that her mission for the day would be a wash, that when she walked into her last period class her eyes didn’t even look any further then the desk in the front of the class she had been sitting in all year. However, it seemed like the universe had decided that now her luck would change. 

Because before she could reach her seat, her body slammed right into someone’s chest, nearly sending her backwards onto the floor. However, hands grabbed out to stop her, gripping her shoulders and sending a warm shock up her spine. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” A voice said, and when Jane looked up, her heart dropped into her stomach.  _ Mike _ . She felt herself smile, gulping, and taking a deep breathe, desperate to refill her lungs. “I wasn’t paying attention.” 

Jane’s heart hammered against her chest as she looked at him. There was something about the way his voice sounded, like he was out of breath and taking time to choose his words, that sent a shiver up and down her spine. She would have forgotten that she was standing in the middle of a classroom if it wasn’t for Ms. Harris. 

“Mr. Wheeler, Ms. Hopper, is everything alright?” She asked, causing Jane to nearly jump out of her skin. Jane could feel her face reddening as she turned to look at her teacher, a sheepish smile spreading across her face. She didn’t dare look over at Mike,  _ Mike Wheeler _ , she said in her head with a smile, afraid that would only cause her to feel more embarrassed. 

“Yeah, Ms. Harris, everything is fine.” Jane said, nodding as she took a step away from Mike and moved again towards her seat. She felt weirdly cold as she stepped away from him, the warmth that had pooled in her stomach as she had looked at him dissipating. 

Sitting down, Jane took a deep breath, trying to calm down her rapidly beating her. For once, she was grateful that she had this class without any of her friends, the last thing she needed is Will, Lucas, or god forbid, Dustin, witnessing her interaction with Mike and questioning her about it later. 

Jane spent the rest of class thinking about Mike’s face. 

It was even prettier up close. From a distance, Jane had been taken with the speckled brown of his eyes and the freckled apples of his cheeks, but it was nothing compared to seeing him right in front of her with her own eyes. He was  _ beautiful _ . 

She knew it was strange, to think of a boy as beautiful, but no other word seemed to fit right. Handsome was close, but not quite right and  _ hot  _ was not nearly close enough. Mike Wheeler, she smiled now that she knew his last name, was beautiful, with his high delicate cheekbones and windswept black hair. 

Yes, she decided with a grin, biting down on her lip to keep it from becoming too large, he was absolutely  _ beautiful.  _

Now that Jane had accomplished her mission of seeing him again, hopefully their literal  _ run in _ being memorable enough for him as much as it was her, she needed to focus on the next thing she wanted to. While she had seen him, and gotten to see him up close, she still hadn’t actually talked to him. 

She  _ would _ have if they hadn’t been standing in the middle of the classroom with people around them, but she supposed she couldn’t win them all. She mentally cursed Ms. Harris for interrupting them. Yes, her AP French teacher had had a good reason to do so, but still, it was embarrassing and Jane could only hope that the embarrassment aspect of it wouldn’t keep Mike from talking to her. 

Little does she know, embarrassment isn’t the only thing that could keep Mike from talking to her. 

 

* * *

 

Well, it’s official. 

Mike was  _ screwed.  _

No, scratch that. Screwed didn’t seem like the right word. No, absolutely, totally and completely  _ fucked _ . Yeah, that seemed like a more appropriate sentiment to describe the feeling that was settling into his stomach as he dropped into his seat in his last period history class. 

Because turns out that Mystery Girl is way,  _ way _ , prettier up close. 

Mike had barely been paying attention when he had quickly moved to exit his French class last period, too focused on getting to his next class, which he knew from the day before was quite a trek across the school. But, all that had come to a screeching halt when he had nearly collided right into Mystery Girl, who he now knew the last name of. 

_ Hopper _ . 

God, even her last name was cute. Mike could only imagine that first name was equally as adorable and pretty as she was. 

Groaning, Mike leaned forward on his desk, tuning out the noise of his history teacher, whose name he couldn’t quite remember right now. Partially because it was still only his second day and he was still learning but mainly because he couldn’t seem to think about anything else but  _ her.  _

As Mike screwed his eyes shut, willing himself to think about  _ literally _ anything else, Coach’s words from yesterday echoing in the back of his head. But try as he might, he could not get her out of his head. 

She was just, so  _ pretty _ . 

Her eyes were even brighter and softer up close, and Mike knew it wouldn’t have been hard for him to get lost in them. The way her hair looked today, tied up in a half ponytail with a bright pink scrunchie, made her hair look soft and slightly tousled. Everything about her was just so beautiful. Mike didn’t think he had ever seen someone so beautiful in his life. 

He was, as he said before, totally  _ fucked _ . 

And he didn’t even know her name. 

 

* * *

 

“So, have you had a chance to meet Mike yet?” 

Jane, who had been looking down at the ground as her and Will walked down the sidewalk, snapped her head up at the mention of the new boy. She hoped her face didn’t betray her, as her heart suddenly began hammering quickly in her chest, and she could feel the high corners of her cheeks beginning to blush. Jane quickly ducked her head, tucking her chin to her chest, in hopes that Will wouldn’t see her red cheeks. 

“Why is everyone so interested in me meeting this Mike person?” She asked, clearing her throat and praying she came off as nonchalant. The last thing she wanted was to give anything away ti Will, who would never let her hear the end of it. 

“I don’t know.” Will said, giving a small shrug before his face morphed into a look of confusion. “Wait, who else has said that to you? He’s only been here for two days.” 

Jane laughed, shaking her head slightly. “Dustin.” Will nodded, a look of understanding crossing his features. “He basically jumped me yesterday telling me that he thinks Mike is my type.” As her own words left her mouth, Jane’s palms began to sweat and she had to rub them softly against the fabric of her jeans. 

Yesterday, she had paid no mind to Dustin’s words and now she wants to hear him say them over and over and over again.

Will snorted, and the balloon that Jane had felt rising in her stomach as her thoughts slowly drifted to Mike, quickly popped and she sighed. Will didn’t hear her though, still shaking his head, seeming like he was trying not to full on laugh.

“You and Mike? Yeah I don’t think that would ever happen.” Jane’s heart plummets and she mentally chastises herself, taking this moment to give herself a harsh reality check. 

_ Her and Mike have never even properly spoken to each other. He’s still, for all intents and purposes a stranger to her.  _

That didn’t stop her from being upset over Will’s words, however. 

“Why do you say that?” She asks, adding a small laugh onto the end of her question for good measure. She hopes her tone comes off as more playful curiosity then it does desperation. She watches as Will shrugs, resisting the urge to groan. 

“I don’t know.” He says after a moment. “Maybe because he’s a total nerd, just like me, Lucas and Dustin and you’ve said a million times that you think we’re weird.” Jane nervously bites her lip and takes a small breath. 

“Hey, you’re the only one I think is really weird. Well, and Dustin.” She says, laughing lightly. “But, Lucas isn’t weird. And besides, I just think your hobbies are weird.” 

“Same difference.” Will says laughing. “But I don’t know, I just don’t think you and Mike would have anything in common, that’s all. Why do you care?” 

Jane sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, equally frustrated and annoyed with Will’s response. First of all, who cared how much her and Mike had in common, besides him and Will had known each other for two days, how much did Will really know about him. Secondly, she didn’t need him calling out how much she cared. 

“I don’t.” She said after a minute. The look on Will’s face was one of amusement, but he didn’t say anything on the subject, merely nodding his head. “I just was finding it weird that Mike keeps being mentioned to me. That’s all.” 

Will hummed, kicking a rock with his foot and Jane watched it skip quickly down the sidewalk. “If you say so.” He sounded doubtful, like he could see right through her and knew all of her secrets. It had always annoyed her about Will that he had the ability to read her so well. She could never keep anything from him. 

Didn’t mean she wasn’t going to lie her ass off though. 

“I do say so.” 

Luckily, that seems to do the trick. Whether it has to do with the tone of her voice, or Will not wanting to talk about it anymore, Jane isn’t quite sure. But the subject gets dropped after that and Mike doesn’t get mentioned again as the step siblings finish their journey home. 

However, he never leaves Jane’s mind. 

Not that she minds. 

 

* * *

 

Mike’s shaking the water out of his hair after his first official practice when an elbow nudges into his back. He flinches, relaxing when he notices that it’s one of his teammates, Jack, Mike believes his name is, and there’s a small grin on his face.

“Good job out there today, man.” Jack,  _ yeah _ Mike thinks after a second, that’s his name, says. He was the catcher who caught for Mike yesterday. “You were throwing the ball better than a lot of guys on our team can.” 

Mike smiles, his cheeks warming at the compliment. “Thanks.” He shrugs casually, despite freaking out on the inside. It’s not that Mike had never been told he knew how to throw, hell Coach had told him yesterday, but it felt different coming from someone on the team. 

It felt like acceptance. 

Especially since Jack was one of the senior captains. Definitely felt a lot like acceptance. 

Despite being on the team at his old school for two years and being friendly enough with some of the guys on the team, he had never felt super close with any of them. He had never really felt like he had belonged, or that any of the guys on the team really noticed him outside of just being a guy on the bench. 

“I can’t believe you never got any playing time at your old school, you’re like crazy good.” Jack said, laughing slightly at the end of his words, almost like he couldn’t believe it. “We’re lucky to have a guy like you on our team.” 

Mike smiled, his heart swelling in his chest. “My old team was pretty big and a lot of the pitchers were upperclassmen, so I never really got my chance.” He shrugged, smiling when he saw Jack roll his eyes. “I’m glad to be here now though, you guys seem a lot closer than my old team.” 

Jack grinned, nodding his head. “Yeah, we do team bonding stuff all the time. Sometimes it’s because Coach is forcing us too, but most of the time it’s just because we want to. Don’t worry, Mike, you’ll fit right in with us.” 

The feeling, that had sparked a couple minutes earlier, that swell of acceptance and friendship ballooned inside of him and Mike was almost afraid he might burst. However, before he could respond, Jack cleared his throat. 

“So, what was the deal with you and the Hopper chick?” Jack asked, leaning against the locker next to where Mike was standing, a weird look on his face. 

“Who?” Mike knew exactly who Jack was talking about, the girl from yesterday. He had been thinking about her, and her last name since he still didn’t know her first name, nearly all afternoon. 

“The girl, you know from yesterday. Jane, Jessica, Julie? Something like that.” Mike, who had finished getting changed and ready after practice, threw the last of his stuff in his gym bag and swallowed roughly. The last thing he wanted to do was give himself away. He knew what Coach had said yesterday, and Mike didn’t want to tell Jack anything that was gonna screw him over yesterday. “You looked like you knew her, you were staring at her pretty hard.” 

“Oh her.” Mike said, putting his gym bag over his shoulder and shrugging. Jack followed suit, putting his baseball cap on his head and closing Mike’s locker for him. “No, I don’t know her. I guess she just distracted me yesterday.” 

Jack gave him a look like he didn’t believe Mike and Mike gulped nervously. He really hoped his face didn’t betray him and Jack didn’t read right through him. Luckily, Jack only shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. 

“Well, she looked like she knew you, or she wanted to.” There was a teasing tone to his voice and Mike’s heart sped up in his chest. “She’s hot, you should go after her.” 

The boys had exited the locker room and were now in the warm sun of the late afternoon and Mike could feel his cheeks begin to heat up from both the sun, and Jack’s words. Even if something on the back of his neck crawled and burned when Jack called her hot. 

_ God _ . He was not about to get jealous over some girl he didn’t even know the name of. Especially when Jack was encouraging him to do something about it. Mike’s brief flash of jealousy and anger quickly dissipated into confusion though and he felt his eyebrows crinkle together. 

“Wait, what?” He asked. “I thought that Coach didn’t want any distractions.” Unless Mike had totally misunderstood what his coach had said yesterday, he was pretty sure that girls were off the table, at least until the end of June. 

Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes and chuckling. “Yeah, Coach said no distractions, but he can’t stop you from dating, dude.” Jack clapped Mike’s shoulder, shaking his head softly and Mike had to resist buckling under the weight. “Besides, what coach doesn’t know can’t hurt him, right?” 

In the distance a car horn honked and Jack straightened his spine, removing his hand from Mike’s shoulder. “That’s my ride dude, but think about what I said, and welcome to the team.” 

At a loss for words, and unable to say anything before Jack start sprinting down the field and towards the parking lot, all Mike could do was raise his hand in a weak wave. As he watched the car that Jack had just gotten into turn into the road and speed away, Mike let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. 

Starting his own journey home, on foot, his mom and dad both busy doing, well, something, Jack’s words echoed in Mike’s head with every step that he took. 

_ You should go after her.  _

_ What coach doesn’t know won’t hurt him _ . 

Jack’s words were interspersed with flashes of said girl, whose name Mike  _ really _ needed to find out before it drove him insane, and by the time Mike got home, his head hurt. 

He now just had to decide if he was going to take Jack’s advice or not.    
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, there we have it. mike and el still haven't really met yet, but they're definitely already half in love with each other. next chapter we'll get a proper meeting between them, plus we'll be introduced to hopper + mike's parents! i already kind of have the next chapter planned, so hopefully it won't be nearly as long. 
> 
> thank you all so much for reading! and as always, let me know what you think!


End file.
